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Don't Buy mobile phones

by Oli McKean

These Don’t Buy-rated mobile phones have dismal screens, paltry battery life, and take terrible photos. Avoid these handsets at any price.

Put us to the test

Our Test Labs compare features and prices on a range of products. Try Which? to unlock our reviews. You'll instantly be able to compare our test scores, so you can make sure you don't get stuck with a Don't Buy.

Take a gamble with your mobile phone purchase, and you could end up with a handset that's painfully slow and seems to relish in running out of charge. As many of us use our phones regularly for taking photos, browsing the web and communicating with our friends and family, you don't want to be lumbered with one that makes you feel permanently frustrated. Our thorough and unique smartphone testing helps you avoid spending your money unwisely.

But we don't just point out the worst - we also highlight the best models that we think deserve your consideration. Best Buy mobile phones take good photos and videos, easily last a full day before running out of charge, and speed through even the most demanding tests. To find out which smartphones earn our seal of approval, take a look at our brilliant Best Buy mobile phones.

You might think sticking with a good brand or spending a lot of money is the best way to choose a great mobile phone, but our tests have revealed that it's far more difficult to predict which smartphones will be worthy of a Best Buy. We've found smartphones we'd recommend that cost less than £300 to buy outright, and others from brands you may not have heard of.

Join Which? now to unlock our mobile phone Don't Buy warnings on this page. Already a member? Log in now.

Mobile phone reviews you can trust

Which? has reviewed the latest mobile phones, including models by big brands such as Apple, Samsung, and Motorola - and more emerging ones, like Huawei and Wileyfox - to help you find the best smartphone for you. We ignore the hype when we're assessing mobile phones, which means we can recommend those models with the best battery life and cameras. We've found that even the most popular brands can drop the ball.

We buy every mobile phone we send to our lab, to ensure our testing remains independent and impartial.

Each mobile phone goes through the same assault of tests, including battery life, camera quality, processor speed and screen clarity - so you'll know what to expect for your money.

We give every mobile phone a Which? test score so you can immediately see which are the best and worst.

Find out which mobile phones are Don't Buys and which are Best Buys byjoining Which?today.